Social Literature

In class on Wednesday, DKJ said, "ethics begins by taking seriously the harm that may befall someone besides yourself. It is a social undertaking." I think, then, that it might be fruitful for learning about ethics also to be a social undertaking. Though we've decided that greatness and popularity are not the same thing, I think having certain works of literature that a large number of people know well is useful for learning about ethics. If one person can reference a scenario or character from a work of literature to exemplify an ethical idea, it will resonate well with anyone else who has read that particular work of literature. That's one of the ways studying together in a class is so beneficial; every student in the room has read (or at least, should have read) the same text. Though the initial act of reading literature is quite solitary, I think it's important for readers to then make literature a social experience by discussing it with others.